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So in other words, mobs can do very limited sets of activities in muds somewhat convincingly. Killing things is hardly the sum total of "playing" a mud.
Examples from our games: A mob isn't going to be able to intelligently go about acquiring a shop (can only be purchased from other players), intelligently stock that shop by acquiring items the way a player can, or search out players to sell that shop to for a profit.
A mob isn't going to be able to participate in politics at all as it lacks the ability to communicate at more than an extremely rudimentary and rote level.
A mob isn't going to be able to participate in the writing and art contests we have monthly.
A mob isn't going to be able to effectively participate in city raids the way a player can (ie independently cooperating with other players from its city).
Yes, if you define "playing" as "bashing monsters" then a mob can be somewhat convincing. Of course, without the ability to learn, how is the mob going to keep up with the latest player innovations in bashing? It can't, because that would require it to parse communications from player to player, and good luck managing that.
I mean, saying a mob can "play" a mud just as well except for communication is saying almost nothing. Communication is what muds are all about.
--matt
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